MAVERICK POV
The scotch burns going down, but not enough to kill the pain.
I stand on my balcony watching my pack celebrate some birthday party below. Music blasts. Wolves laugh and dance. They're happy.
I'm not.
Three years since Celestia ripped my heart out. Three years since my own Beta and my own mate betrayed me, forged documents, and stole half my territory. Three years since my daughter chose her lying mother over me.
And I still can't sleep through the night.
Kill them, my wolf Storm growls inside my mind. Track them down. Rip out their throats. Take back what's OURS.
"Can't," I mutter, taking another drink. "Juniper would never forgive me if I hurt her mother."
Juniper already hates us. What's the difference?
He's right. My daughter barely speaks to me. When she visits—which is rare—she looks at me like I'm a monster. Celestia poisoned her with lies about me being violent and abusive. Lies my sweet girl believed without question.
That's what hurts most. Not the stolen territory. Not the betrayal. The fact that my own daughter thinks I'm a monster.
"Alpha?" Garrett's voice comes from behind me. My new Beta—young, loyal, still trying to prove himself. "Sorry to interrupt."
"What is it?" I don't turn around. Can't let him see how drunk I am.
"Your daughter called. About the Summer Solstice celebration in two weeks." Garrett hesitates. "She's bringing a friend. Asked if the friend could come tonight. Stay for the next few weeks."
I grunt. "Fine. Prepare a guest room."
"It's the human girl. The one who visits sometimes. Scarlett?"
Scarlett. I vaguely remember her. Small. Quiet. Always hiding behind Juniper like a scared rabbit. Smelled weird too—like wolfsbane and fear. Probably being abused by her pack for being a late shifter or defective.
"Whatever Juniper wants," I say tiredly. "Is that all?"
"Yes, Alpha." Garrett leaves.
I drain my scotch and pour another glass. Two weeks until the Solstice celebration. Two weeks of pretending to be a strong Alpha while inside I'm barely holding together.
Storm has been silent for months. Depressed. Broken. Ever since the betrayal, my wolf has shut down. He doesn't want to run. Doesn't want to hunt. Doesn't want to do anything except occasionally fantasize about revenge we can't have.
But suddenly, Storm surges to life inside me.
Something's coming, he growls, alert and aggressive for the first time in forever. Something important.
"What are you talking about?" I mutter.
Can't you feel it? The pull? Something's COMING.
I grip the balcony railing, confused. Storm hasn't reacted to anything in three years. Why now? What's changed?
The stone railing cracks under my fingers. I barely notice.
My wolf is pacing inside my mind, restless and excited and almost... hopeful? An emotion I haven't felt from him since before Celestia's betrayal.
"Calm down," I tell him. "It's just Juniper's human friend. Nothing to get excited about."
WRONG, Storm snarls. This is everything. Our whole world is about to change.
"You're losing it," I say. "We're both losing it."
But my heart starts racing anyway. Some instinct—some primal Alpha awareness—tells me Storm isn't wrong. Something IS coming.
I hear a car pulling up the long driveway. Headlights cut through the evening darkness.
My entire body goes rigid. Every nerve ending fires at once. Storm is howling inside my mind, throwing himself against my control.
HER, he roars. SHE'S HERE. OUR MATE IS HERE.
"That's impossible," I whisper. "I don't have a mate. Celestia was my mate and she—"
Celestia was a FALSE bond. THIS is real. THIS is fate. Go to her NOW.
I'm already moving before I realize it. Down the stairs. Through the house. My hands are shaking. My wolf is going absolutely feral with need.
This is crazy. I don't even know who's in that car. It's probably just Juniper's human friend. The scared little rabbit girl who smells like wolfsbane.
I reach the front door just as a car door slams outside.
Footsteps on gravel. Light. Female. Young.
My hand freezes on the doorknob. What am I doing? I'm forty-two years old. A broken Alpha who can barely hold his pack together. I don't need complications. I don't need—
The front door opens before I can.
And there she is.
Not small anymore. Not hiding. Not scared.
Scarlett stands in my doorway with a duffel bag over her shoulder, and she's... beautiful. Auburn hair catching the porch light. Green eyes that flash GOLD when they meet mine. She's taller than I remembered. Curvier. Confident.
And her scent hits me like a physical blow.
Not wolfsbane and fear anymore. Now she smells like moonlight and silver and something wild that makes my wolf go completely insane.
MATE, Storm roars so loud I actually stumble backward. OURS. CLAIM HER. NOW.
No. This can't be happening.
Scarlett drops her duffel bag. Her eyes go wide. Her mouth opens in a small gasp.
"Alpha Maverick," she whispers. Her voice trembles.
The mate bond SLAMS into place between us like a lightning strike. I feel it in my chest—a golden thread connecting my soul to hers. Unbreakable. Undeniable. ETERNAL.
She feels it too. I can see it in her shocked face. The way her hand flies to her heart. The way she sways on her feet like the bond knocked the breath out of her.
"You," I manage to say. My voice comes out rough. Broken. "You're—"
"Your mate," she finishes. Tears fill her eyes. "The wolf inside me has been screaming about you for hours. I didn't believe her. I thought she was crazy. But it's real, isn't it? This feeling?"
I should say no. I should shut this down immediately. She's eighteen years old. My daughter's best friend. This is forbidden in every possible way.
But Storm is howling with joy for the first time in three years. And the mate bond is singing between us, pure and perfect and right.
"It's real," I hear myself say.
Scarlett takes a step toward me. "I don't understand. How can I be your mate? You're Juniper's dad. You're—"
"Too old for you," I finish harshly. "This bond is a mistake."
Pain flashes across her face. "The mate bond doesn't make mistakes. That's what all the legends say."
"The legends are wrong." I force myself to step back. Away from her. Away from that intoxicating scent. "You should go to your room. Forget this happened."
"I can't forget!" She moves closer again. "I feel you in my chest. In my soul. Like we're connected by some invisible rope. How am I supposed to ignore that?"
"You're a child—"
"I'm EIGHTEEN!" Her eyes flash full gold. Her wolf surfacing. "I just shifted for the first time two days ago. I'm not a child anymore."
She shifted two days ago. Which means she's a brand new wolf. Vulnerable. Confused. Everything about this situation is wrong.
But the mate bond doesn't care about right and wrong. It just IS.
I open my mouth to send her away. To do the responsible thing.
Then Juniper's voice calls from upstairs: "Scarlett? Is that you?"
We both freeze.
If Juniper finds out about the mate bond, she'll lose her mind. She already thinks I'm a monster. This will confirm it in her eyes.
Scarlett and I stare at each other, the golden bond blazing between us, both knowing the same terrible truth:
We're fated mates.
And telling anyone—especially Juniper—will destroy everything.